The invention relates to a toy block shipbuilding kit, and particular toy blocks forming the kit, which is highly suitable for children since it is possible to construct structures resembling actual ships including properly formed stems and sterns. Heretofore it has not been possible to construct ships from toy block kits having realistic stems and sterns because only parallelepiped blocks were employed which provided corners rather than realistic stems and sterns. Ships built with current toy block kits do not represent the real appearance of ships, but have only a remote resemblance to actual ships.
According to the present invention, a plurality of toy blocks are provided that are specially adapted for forming the ship's stem and stern. Each block of a first set of blocks includes a generally planar bottom face, a generally planar top face, symmetrically spaced projections extending upwardly from the plane of the top face, projection receiving means associated with the bottom face for receiving symmetrically spaced projections like those on the top face for interlocking engagement, and first and second side faces. Each of the side faces has curved portions converging toward the other and adjoining the other at tip portions including tip portions disposed in the planes of the top and bottom faces. At least a third side face is also provided, disposed in a plane generally perpendicular to the top and bottom faces, and the tip portion in the plane of the top face is spaced further from the third face than is the tip portion in the plane of the bottom face, so that a number of such blocks stacked upon each other provide an upwardly sloping surface from bottom to top, resembling the actual configuration of a real ship stem or stern. The height of the side faces are substantially the same as the distance between the top and bottom faces for the first set of blocks.
A second set of blocks also may be provided, each block of the second set having generally planar top and bottom faces, and first and second side faces, each having curved portions converging toward the other and adjoining the other at a tip portion in the same manner as the curvature of the first and second side faces of the first blocks. However, the second blocks are relatively thin, and the first and second side faces are generally perpendicular to the top and bottom faces. Projections on the top face are positioned with respect to the top face so that when the first and second side faces of a second block coincide with the first and second side faces of the first block along the first block bottom face, the projections on the second block top face are received in interlocking engagement by the projection receiving means associated with the first block bottom face.
The third set of blocks also is preferably provided for forming top rail portions for either the stem or stern. Each block of the third block set includes generally planar top and bottom faces, and first and second side faces each having curved portions converging toward the other and adjoining the other at a tip portion, the curvature being substantially the same as for the first blocks and first and second side faces. The first and second side faces of the third blocks extend from the bottom face in a direction perpendicular to the bottom face a distance greater than the distance the top face is spaced from the bottom face, so that side rails are provided. Projection receiving means are associated with the bottom face of each third block, and located with respect to the bottom face so that when the first and second side faces of the third block are disposed coinciding with the first and second faces of a first block along the first block top face, the projection receiving means receive the projections on the first block top face in interlocking engagement.
The tip portions of some of the first, second and third blocks can form a point for the construction of the ship stern, and the tip portions of at least some of the other first, second and third blocks can form a continuous curved surface with the first and second faces for the construction of a realistic ship stern.
While any suitable projection and projection receiving means can be provided that provide for interlocking of the component parts, it is preferred that the projections and projection receiving means have the construction provided in U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,939 (the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in the present application). The projections on each first block top face are disposed with respect to the projection receiving means on the bottom face so that one of the first blocks may be stacked upon another of the first blocks in interlocking engagement, with the first and second side of the blocks providing a continuous smooth contour, and with at least some of the projections on the top face of the lower most block--adjacent the third face thereof--not being received by the projection receiving means of the upper block. Such projections are then connectable up to conventional parallelepiped blocks in toy block kits, such as particular shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,939.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a toy block shipbuilding kit, with specialty blocks therein, for the construction of realistically contoured toy ships. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.